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Hell (planet)
Hell, or Eizo VI-C, is a frozen moon. __TOC__ Overview Hell is one of 14 moons of the planet Gaigan, a gas giant in the Eizo Star System, about 11 times the diameter of Earth. Hell's surface is mostly rock, covered by ice spires and slush. The atmosphere consists of nitrogen, methane, and complex compounds like ethane and hydrogen-cyanide. Thermal vents release these poisonous gases into the thick, soupy sky, after which it falls back to the surface as toxic, chemical snow. Elysium Elysium is the only known settlement, built by the Axon Corporation as a research facility that does weapons research. The facility has a central hub surrounded with four research modules, each focused on a different area of weapons research. Axon scientist were known to be working on a rare alien artifact, and after the TCA hasn't received transmissions from the station for 18 hours, John Dalton is sent to investigate. He finds out the facility is overrun by mutated Araknids. Fauna Despite the extreme cold, Hell features two native species of fauna. The Muckhog is a heavily built, quadrupedal creature that can often be found sleeping on Hell's surface. Once disturbed from its sleep, an annoyed Muckhog will attack the source until either party is killed. If left alone, on the other hand, the Muckhog will pose no threat. When awake, the beast will attack intruders in its territory but leave them alone if they keep their distance. The Parata is a armored, slug-like alien that lives on Hell's surface. Normally docile, the Parata will counter-attack if provoked by using some kind of glands underneath its movable sclerites. If left alone it will take no interest in human visitors and is content to wander the surface of Hell as usual. Araknids Although they are present on Hell, inside Elysium, the Araknids, spider-like creatures, are not native to Hell. See the relevant article for info on that species. Appearances It features in an early missions of Unreal 2, set in 2251. Trivia * Hell is by far the coldest planet featured in Unreal II: The Awakening. * Araknids may be ill-tempered mutated spiders, but they are still spiders, which are not known for their ability to survive environments as cold as Hell's natural landscape. The Elysium research facility probably kept them inside comfortably heated labs for a reason. Ironically, shutting down the heat might have been the best way for the staff to kill the spiders once they broke loose. * Hell may have been named for either (or both) of two things. First, the phrase "When hell freezes over," a human expression for something the speaker considers highly unlikely to happen- Hell is a world that is perpetually frozen over. Second, with the planet's surface temperature constantly over 100 degrees below zero (Celsius or Fahrenheit), it matches up perfectly with the ancient human conception of Hell. While it has ice, not fire, it is nonetheless an extremely merciless and unpleasant place. Gallery Gaigan-and-hell.png|Gas giant Gaigan in the foreground with the frozen moon Hell showing just behind the rim of the planet External links and references See also * Hell (mission)